Living Through His Life.

Many hymns tell how the truth of the resurrection affects our life today. "I serve a risen Savior," wrote Alfred Ackley in "He Lives!" Charles Wesley underscored the reality that because Christ has risen, we will also rise, in his hymn "Come, Let Us With Our Lord Arise." Those who know Christ live because of Him, and our glory is His.

By contrast, those who choose to live without God often describe the fleeting nature of human life. English poet Thomas Gray wrote the line, "The paths of glory lead but to the grave." Our glory is short-lived without Christ. God's glory is eternal, and He has wonderfully planned to share it through Jesus Christ.

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The chapter of 1 Peter 1 can be divided into three sections: Hope, Holiness, and Harmony. We can have hope through Jesus Christ, which leads us to live a holy life. God unites us with other believers into a church body and enables us to persevere in harmony together. This book was written to Christians enduring extreme persecution. Even as they worshipped in hiding, they had reason to praise God. 1 Peter 1:3-9 gives several reasons to "bless" God for what He has done, including providing salvation for us.

Jesus Alone Is Our Hope for Personal Salvation.

Religion always tries to add to what Jesus did on the cross and in His resurrection. In adding to Christ's work, they actually take away from the effectual nature of His atonement. Nobody can improve on His work. Ephesians 2:8-9 makes it clear that personal salvation is only by God's grace, not any human work.

We have a living hope because our life is grounded in Jesus' life. It is constantly being nourished by His life. One man put it this way:

A living hope is one that has life in it and therefore can give life to us. Because it has life, it grows and becomes greater and more beautiful as life and time goes on. Time destroys human hope; they fade and they die. But the passing of time only makes the Christian's hope that much more glorious.

Jesus Alone Is Our Hope to Come.

Those who have a relationship with Christ also have a future hope. The word used for "salvation" in 1 Peter 1:5 and 9 refers to Christ's second coming. Acts 1:9-11 and 1 Thessalonians 4:13-5:11 promise that He will return and take Christians from this sin-cursed world to be with Him.

Jesus Is the Expression of God's Mercy.

Mercy is not as popular a topic as grace, because it admits that sinful beings deserve punishment. But God's mercy is a reason to praise God. He had pity on us broken sinners and told us what we needed to hear, not what we wanted to hear. God caused us to be born again because we have no ability to do so.

Jesus' was a unique resurrection. No one else has voluntarily given up his spirit and taken it back up again by the power of the Holy Spirit, never to die again. His death was also unique, a payment for all sin (1 John 2:2).

Jesus Is Our Inheritance.

1 Peter 1:4 uses three phrases to describe the Christian's inheritance: it is "imperishable and undefiled and will not fade away." One author described, "It cannot be stained and cheapened in any way. It can never get old; it can never wear out; nor will it ever disappoint us in any way."

The glory of human accomplishment and beauty will fade away and quickly be forgotten (1 Peter 1:24). James compares our life to grass (1:11) and vapor (4:14). In Christ, we can share in God's eternal glory. When God causes us to be born again and we submit our will to His Lordship, then we live through His life.

Application Points

• God is to be praised for all He has done for us. He caused us to be born again, gives us life in Christ and a living hope, and shares His glory with us. Take some personal time in prayer to bless God for His work in your life.
• The glory of humans will fade away and be forgotten. Our lives are brief. Do you have a living hope in this life and for the next? The Bible says that you need the eternal glory of a resurrected Christ in your life. Have you made Him your Lord and Savior?

Tools for Further Study

A Hymn to Encourage: "I Run to Christ"

I run to Christ when chased by fear and find a refuge sure.
“Believe in me,” His voice I hear; His words and wounds secure.
I run to Christ when torn by grief and find abundant peace.
“I, too, had tears,” He gently speaks; thus, joy and sorrow meet.

I run to Christ when worn by life and find my soul refreshed.
“Come unto Me,” He calls through strife; fatigue gives way to rest.
I run to Christ when vexed by hell and find a mighty arm.
“The Devil flees,” the Scriptures tell; he roars, but cannot harm.

I run to Christ when stalked by sin and find a sure escape.
“Deliver me,” I cry to Him; temptation yields to grace.
I run to Christ when plagued by shame and find my one defense.
“I bore God’s wrath,” He pleads my case – my advocate and friend.

Text by Chris Anderson; Tune by Greg Habegger.
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